Church

The National Monuments Service's description

National Monument in state ownership No. 134. Situated on a largely natural platform on a S-facing slope overlooking the level floor of the Glendasan river some 300m E of the main monastic complex. The remains comprise Trinity church, a cross-slab and two millstone rough-outs (WI023-014003-, WI023-014004-). The church consists of a nave (dims. 9m E-W; 5.4m N-S) and chancel (dims. 4.1m E-W; 2.8m N-S) with a fine granite chancel arch. The W wall has a door with inclined jambs and lintel leading to a later annexe (dims. 3.14m E-W; 2.84m N-S), possibly a sacristy, which had a corbelled roof and a round tower or belfry (destroyed during a storm in 1818). A round-headed door was inserted towards the W end of the S wall when the annexe was built. The chancel is lit by a round-headed window in the E wall and a pointed window in the S while the nave has a single round-headed window in the S wall. Six projecting corbels can be seen on the exterior of the walls which would have supported the roof. The cross-slab is situated outside the S door and is a large trapezoidal slab (dims. 1.48m x 0.5m x 0.18m) with a small single-line incised Greek cross. (O'Flanagan 1928, 162-4; Leask 1950, 32-4; Healy 1972, 22-3, 88-9)

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Wicklow' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Date of upload: 19 December 2012

See linked document with plan taken from Robert Cochrane Historical and Descriptive Notes with Ground Plans, Elevations, Sections and Details of the Ecclesiastical Remains at Glendalough, Co. Wicklow. Extract from the Eightieth Annual Report of the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland 1911-12. Dublin, 1925.

References

Leask, H.G. 1950 Glendalough, Co. Wicklow: national monuments vested in the Commissioners of Public Works. Dublin. Stationery Office.

Healy, P. 1972 Supplementary survey of ancient monuments at Glendalough, Co. Wicklow. Unpublished OPW report.

O'Flanagan, Rev. M. (Compiler) 1928 Letters containing information relative to the antiquities of the county of Wicklow collected during the progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1838. Bray.